It was a lot like the sort of thing you go to for work: hotel conference rooms, name tags on a lanyard, and boozy night time entertainment. And if you work with 500 creative and artisticly motivated women, then this would be that conference.

Days were filled with sessions intended to smarten up your blogginess. Like design do’s and don’ts, building an ad network, and kickstarting your next project. Elaborately planned parties in the evenings.

So here’s what I thought…

The Room Mate
I roomed with a stranger. She posted on her blog that she was looking for a room mate. I said that it could be me if she wanted. Despite feeling a little nervous, it all worked out surprisingly well. We weren’t all bff and up in each other’s business, but we did spend a fair amount of time together. For me, it was the perfect balance of striking out independently versus hanging out in a safety net.
All told, I’m really glad about meeting Margot.

The Networking

So much exchanging of business cards, each one cuter and cleverer and fancier than the next/mine. Now I’ve just got to follow through on all that goodness. It’s rather a big project.

The Fashion

Somehow, I didn’t cross paths much with the fashion bloggers. But you could tell which ones were they from a mile away. Way tall and thin. Top knots and capes. Super bright lipstick. Heeled booties. This shirt (I met three different girls wearing it.)

The rest of the bloggers weren’t exactly wearing potato sacks.

The Presents

Wow. What a surprise. The sponsors gave us so much stuff, all beautifully packaged and aesthetically pleasing. Notebooks, journals, and cards. A funny black toothbrush. Pencils. A scarf and a hat. Hand crafted jewelry. A home design book. Chocolates. Method hand soap. A coffee mug. Tote bags. Swatches of fabric. A monkey.

The Parties

First up, The White Party. A fancy ballroom populated with varying shades of white, ivory, cream, blush, silver and gold. Someone else was wearing the same dress as me. I wanted to shun her, but she was awesome.

Next, The Mini-Parties. 8 different themed party rooms, each with swanky decorations and libations. A photo booth.

I saw them all. With my eyeballs. It was both thrilling and freakish. Because 99% of the people I know would have no empathy whatsoever if I tried to tell them that I started having palpitations and sweaty palms when Maggie Mason and Victoria Smith sat next to me in a session. But it’s true. They did.

The Sessions

Had a strong inspirational bent. A lot of “don’t be afraid to ask for what you want” and “do one thing and make it perfect.”

Makes me feel all cheery and rah-rah at the time, but leaves me wondering what exactly I learned after the fact.

The Lessons

I need to make my name be the same across the interwebs. I can never remember if my Twitter, Pinterest or Flickr handle is Maggieyay or Maggiemight or margaretedith.

WordPress.com versus WordPress.org. Have a think there, shnookums.

Commit to content. Commit to content. Commit to content.

The People

I would self diagnose as an extrovert, but something about a bazillion cordial strangers made me feel a little angsty. Every time I turned around, someone else was introducing herself and: commence ChitChat!

Some times it felt stilted and and awkward. Other times it came really easily and I’d find myself having a grand old time yukking it up with someone I didn’t know.